Coming back from my trip to Turkey, Italy and the South of France, I have found a new respect for eggplant which features heavily in all these cuisines.

Eggplant has traditionally had a bad rap because some eggplants are bitter and need to be salted before being used in sautés to remove that bitterness. For the unaware who tried to use eggplant without taking this precautionary step, the results were often nasty  as such, eggplants tended to languish on supermarket shelves. All this has changed, of course, as people are much savvier about cooking and many different kinds of eggplants have become available which do not require salting.

Types of Eggplant

Eggplants come in various sizes and colours. The deep-hued, oblong, purple variety is the most common and the most bitter.

The pristine white ones are supposed to be the originals of the species, hence the name eggplant.

Sicilian eggplant, my favourite, is the most succulent variety. It has a round basketball-like shape with a pinky-purple skin, few seeds and a custardy texture when cooked. Useful for every kind of dish.

Small, elongated, finger-like oriental eggplants have a wonderful taste, never need to be peeled, and are great for stir frying (but dont bake).

The more bulbous, small Italian varieties are good for grilling and stuffing.

How to Buy

A deep purple colour and a firm texture with a slight springiness when you touch the flesh are the indicators of good eggplant. If the stem end is brown, not green, the eggplant is past its prime. Store eggplants in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

To cook regular eggplant, remove stem end. If the skin is tender, don't peel. Cut in rounds or cubes, place in colander and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. The salt draws out the bitterness. Let sit 30 minutes then pat dry. There is no need to do this with any other eggplant variety.

Lucy Waverman is the author of eight cookbooks, including the award-winning Home for Dinner, and is the recipient of Cuisine Canada's 2005 gold medal award for cookbooks for A Matter of Taste, which she co-wrote with James Chatto. Her latest release, A Year in Lucy's Kitchen, comes out in October. You can find Lucy at lucywaverman.com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/lucywaverman.

There's a time and a place for thin crust. But when you're craving something extra, super gooey, cheesy, doughy, and just plain hearty, there's nothing more satisfying than one of these deep dish pizzas.